A lifelong swimmer, senior Miya Sakurai says she has always loved the challenge and fun of swimming, and, since middle school, has wanted to share her passion for the sport with younger athletes. She first began volunteering at Cupertino Hills Swim and Racquet Club as an eighth grader, and since her junior year, she has been paid to coach 50 kids aged 6 to 18 each summer.
To keep younger students engaged, Sakurai and her fellow coaches incorporate games into their lessons. One such tradition is called “flop for a pop,” where kids do belly flops at the end of practice in order to receive popsicles. She also uses pool toys like rings to make swimming more entertaining for the kids. Sakurai’s favorite part of coaching is helping her students achieve their own small victories.
“I coached this one girl in particular who was very scared of swimming,” Sakurai said. “She didn’t like to be in the water, but I was able to help her gain the confidence to swim her first lap alone. That was super memorable.”
Like Sakurai, senior Vivana Dave coaches swimming. She is both a summer swimming coach at Blackberry Farm and a gymnastics coach at West Valley Gymnastics. Dave started coaching all age groups in swimming in the summer of 2023, and 5 to 10-year-olds in gymnastics in September. Similar to Sakurai, Dave says she transforms her teaching methods to engage her students. Dave believes that making her students feel comfortable helps them trust her and makes them more willing to learn.
“One of my kids had a really big obsession with Roblox, and when we were doing backstroke, she couldn’t get her stomach up,” Dave said. “I told her to do the Dress To Impress pose 28 in the water, and then she was able to get her stomach up and she was actually able to float on her back.”
Both Sakurai and Dave had high school-age coaches when they were starting out in sports. To Dave, that makes her coaching journey feel like a full-circle moment. She also emphasizes that seeing the effects of her coaching on her students is the most rewarding part of the experience.
“When you see the impact that you made on the child, it makes it so worth it,” Dave said. “You see them do laps without your help, and then you see them pause and be like, ‘Oh my god. I didn’t know I could do that.’ Seeing them have that realization brings a smile to your face and makes you feel like, ‘Oh, I’m the reason why they’re able to do this.’”
This month, senior Gillie Ross began coaching ice hockey for an introductory ice hockey program that is part of the San Jose Junior Sharks, where she has played for the past 13 years. Ross helps students aged 6 through 8 and runs drills to build foundational skills in ice hockey.
“I want them to continue playing hockey — that’s the end goal,” Ross said. “I just want them to get more involved with the game and stay with the game, because I love hockey and I think everyone should play hockey. If I can help encourage four or five kids to keep playing, then that’s a win for me.”
Ross began coaching after her teammates recommended her for the position. During drills, Ross joins students on the ice to make the experience interactive. She says these interactions create memorable moments for both the students and coaches.
“There’s this little kid I coach,” Ross said. “I was at a practice on Saturday, and I recognized him and I was like, ‘Hey, I know you!’ And then he just gives this big smile and steals my stick and gives me his. So he skated with a stick twice as tall as he is, and I’m skating around with this two-foot wooden stick.”
Despite the rewards, coaching young children presents other challenges. Sakurai notes that it takes a lot of energy to coach for hours at a time and keep the excitement consistent every day of the week. Dave also faces difficulties with students who lack motivation or students whose parents enroll them in lessons against their will. These situations require extra effort and creativity from the coaches to try and engage their students.
“I would say the number of kids isn’t a problem — they’re 6 years old, so their age is more of a problem,” Ross said. “They don’t know how to do anything yet, and they’re also convinced that they’re always in the right. They’re super adorable most of the time, but they just refuse to listen. Sometimes it’s rather frustrating.”
Even though it can be challenging at times, all three coaches recommend that other student-athletes also start coaching. Dave now competes on the MVHS Diving team, a sport that combines aspects of both gymnastics and swimming. By breaking down the basics for the beginners she coaches, she’s also able to strengthen her understanding of the fundamentals she practices. Sakurai and Ross both also recognize how coaching allows them to learn more about themselves and their strengths and weaknesses.
Though Sakurai teaches the fundamentals of swimming, she still has noticed that coaching has helped her become a stronger teammate in both water polo and basketball, as well as gain patience and confidence. While Ross doesn’t feel the drills she teaches significantly improve her hockey playing technique, she agrees they help her build communication skills and become a stronger teammate.
“Kids can be frustrating,” Ross said. “But it’s also very rewarding when they’re happy that they’ve been on the ice. It’s very rewarding knowing that you helped them smile and helped encourage them to play hockey. I just think ‘Oh, well, I guess I’m just encouraging the next generation of young hockey players.’”
